Specialty Gardening: Fall is around the corner... photos?, 1 by jkom51

jkom51 wrote:
Although Liquidambars (sweetgum) are now discouraged as urban trees due to their 'pavement lifter' roots, I decided to try one of the few smaller varieties, Liquidambar styraciflua 'Variegata'. I've been very happy with this tree and its growth has been impressive. Because of the rich compost and regular watering it got early on, this specimen may well overshoot its average height of 35'. I keep my garden on very little summer water; so far it seems to have worked as the roots have grown deep rather than wide/shallow. In the 7 yrs it has been in the ground, there have been no seedlings, so it may be sterile.

Because many of the leaves stay green, the tree is very colorful right now. Cold gives a pink or red tinge to the leaves, which otherwise just turn a bright yellow before falling off. Here's a composite photo of the tree in its entirety, plus two close-ups of the leaf colors: